Last Wish
by shannyfish
Summary: Sequel to "The Little Princess" and "Smile". Marisol is dying, and the only person she wants to see is Calleigh. Marisol doesn't want to leave her family alone without a wife and mother…


**Title:** Last Wish

**Author:** innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

**Summary:** Sequel to "The Little Princess". Horatio shows up in New York, begging Calleigh to return to Miami. Marisol is dying, and the only person she wants to see is Calleigh. Marisol doesn't want to leave her family alone without a wife and mother…

**Category: **Crossover with CSI: NY

**Genres:** Angst

**Characters:** Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne, Mac Taylor, Danny Messer, Tim Speedle

**Rating:** PG-13

**Chapter:** 1 "In a New York Minute"

**Author's Notes: **The timeframe takes place after the events of "The Little Princess" and "Smile". Yes I understand that this trilogy seems non-DuCaine, but when you line them all up, I swear it is! If you want to see Talleigh, then you'll have to wait until I work on "Choices" and "New Resolution"!

……………………………………

**December 2014**

**Outside of Lou's Coffee Shop**

**New York, New York**

"C'mon, Calleigh," Danny said as he followed her through the busy streets of New York. The woman could walk pretty damn fast. "Just come with me for a couple minutes…"

"Why don't you ask Stella?" Calleigh asked.

"Because I'm askin' you," Danny said.

"I told you to ask Lindsey a year ago," Calleigh reminded.

Danny sighed, "You've been actin' weird…ya know that, right?"

"I have no idea what you're talkin' about," she told him as they approached the coffee shop.

Danny grabbed the sleeve of her coat before she could enter and pulled her to the side. "Look, I know that what happened in Miami wasn't great, but you've got to move on with your life… Marry Speedle and have kids or somethin'… You'd be great with kids…"

A small smile appeared on her face slowly, "I do like kids," she admitted. "But as much as I love Tim…I don't think we'll get that far."

"Ya sure?"

"Yeah," she said pretty quietly. She pushed her hair away from her face.

"You should just try to be happy then," Danny said.

"There's a spot open for a sergeant," Calleigh brought up. "I thought about applying for the position…take the exam…"

"You should," Danny encouraged. "You deserve it. Hell! You could run the lab!"

"I really don't like playing politics," Calleigh admitted.

"Neither does Mac." Danny shrugged, "It seems like a necessary evil, though."

"I suppose," Calleigh said. "But Mac's not about to retire, let alone Stella…"

"Maybe get a dog?"

Calleigh couldn't help, but laugh. "A dog will fix things?"

"At least he can keep ya company," Danny pointed out. He shrugged, "Apparently dogs are like men…except more obedient."

"Where did ya hear that from?" Calleigh asked curiously as her smile widened.

"Lindsey," Danny said with an amused smile. After a length of silence between them, he looked at Calleigh, "So? Help me find a ring? Please?" he pleaded.

"Why don't you take Lindsey?" Calleigh asked.

"It's more romantic to surprise her, isn't it?"

"So, why do you need me?" Calleigh asked.

"You know better what'd she'd like jewelry-wise," Danny explained. He didn't know…and after he'd delayed it this long, he wanted to make sure it was perfect.

………………………

**June 2014**

**Caine Residence**

**Miami, Florida**

"Can we take a walk?" Marisol asked walking up on her husband. She'd been thinking out how to approach what she was going to tell him the whole day, especially since it hadn't gone over with Eric well at all earlier that day.

Horatio turned to his wife, he hadn't expected her there. "I thought you were resting," Horatio said reaching out to take her hand. He ran his thumb over the top of her hand. "I know you haven't been feeling well."

"Eric's been watching Isabel," Marisol told her husband. "I'm feeling better," she tried to assure.

"Maybe we should go on a vacation," Horatio suggested. "Go somewhere relaxing…" He and Marisol had had their honeymoon years ago, but that had really been the last vacation they'd had. With his running the crime lab in Miami, it left little down time for his family. He and Marisol had discussed his job before they'd married, but he still felt like a bad husband at times. Marisol always told him that she was happy and Isabel had seemed to want for nothing, but there was still a nagging feeling down in his gut.

Marisol didn't want to discuss a vacation. Not yet. They needed to talk. She weaved her arm, through his and led him back to the backdoor of their home. It would be a short walk to the park. "Let's walk," she merely responded.

Horatio allowed himself to be led along, but had a bad feeling about the whole situation. "What's wrong, Sweetheart?" he asked after a few minutes. Marisol had been feeling sick, he knew that much…he also knew that she really didn't seem much better to him, but she said she was feeling better? What did he believe? His eyes or what she was telling him?

She took in a deep breath before starting, "You know I haven't been feeling well…" She kept her gaze straight forward down the path as she started. She wasn't ready to stare into his deep blue eyes, she didn't want to allow her own feelings and worries for him cloud what she was about to tell him. She needed to be calm, be the rock for him.

Horatio nodded, he'd been kicked out of the bedroom. Marisol hadn't wanted him to get sick. It had been hard, since all he had wanted to do was to be there for her and to tend to her every need, but he had seen the logic in it as well. In his position, he couldn't afford to be sick.

"I went to the doctor two weeks ago…" Marisol told him. "It was my annual cancer check." She knew that their marriage had come quickly when she had been afraid she was going to die from cancer years before. She had never dreamed of having the life she had. She was happily married and had a beautiful daughter. It was more than she had ever thought she'd get out of life. "The doctor called with my results."

He knew what she was about to tell him. The cancer was back. Why else would she bring it up? He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. He kissed her temple and ran one of his hands through her onyx hair, "We'll get through this…" he said in a whisper. "You're going to fight it, just like you did before." He had to be confident things would be fine. Otherwise, he'd be loosing his world.

"Not this time," Marisol told him as she pulled away from him. She looked back at him; this was something she knew he couldn't fix. "The doctor said months…maybe a year." It was hard to get out, but she managed. Tears streaked down her face as she thought about not being there for her husband and their daughter. Who would look after them?

"They said that before," Horatio reminded her.

"This time is worse," Marisol insisted.

"You can't just give up," Horatio insisted urgently.

"I'm not," she told him. "But this time I don't just have and Eric to leave behind…" Isabel was on her mind. Her precious daughter who she'd devoted the last couple years of her life to. Her daughter was a miracle to her and she didn't want to leave her abandoned in the world.

"You can't think like that," he insisted. He felt like he needed to beg her to hold on to life. "You need to concentrate on life and Isabel," he insisted more urgently. He'd been prepared to loose her before, but God had granted them further time…was it being swept away now?

She could see his struggle as she looked up into his eyes. It wasn't fair, she knew that, but at the same time they'd been given so much. "Isabel is a miracle," she told him. "Our life for so long has been a miracle."

What had he done that God felt that he needed to tear his world apart? To take Marisol from him? How could he survive without her? How could he raise Isabel?

………………………

**June 2014**

**Church**

**Miami, Florida**

Horatio found himself in church again. Not on a Sunday with his family…but there to reflect on current events. He sat in a pew and just thought for an hour before moving to the confessional. "Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned." It had been months since his last confession. That was enough of a sin in his religion. He'd been too deep in living life to confess the sins that came with his profession.

There was a long silence before Horatio spoke up again. "Marisol's cancer has returned, Father."

"God, the church, and the community are here for you, my son."

"God gave Marisol a second chance on life, but now…she'll be taken away," Horatio said as his voice started to break.

"Why do you think that is?"

He'd thought about it. "I've loved another."

"You were unfaithful?"

"Not unfaithful," Horatio said as he bowed his scarlet head. "My heart has always been Marisol's, but I have loved another…"

"Does your wife know this?"

"No."

"Did this woman that you have loved before, did she seduce you?"

"No."

"Was there ever a chance that you would have thought to leave your wife and child?"

"Never." Silence took hold of the small confessional. "I thought about how life could have been different…"

"Go to your wife, my son."

"Father—"

"God gives us only that, which we can handle…"

……………………

TBC…


End file.
